History & Records

As a six-time competitor at the infamous Barkley Marathons, Tunnel Hill Founder and Race Director Steve Durbin knows grueling, gnarly, and vertical courses better than almost anyone. He is part of that rare breed of ultrarunners who have repeatedly tested their absolute limits against unforgiving mountains and technical terrain.

Yet, when Durbin decided to create a new 100-mile and 50-mile race in 2014, he explicitly chose not to join the growing bandwagon of events touting extreme vertical gain and technicality.

To Durbin, the vision for Tunnel Hill boiled down to answering a much simpler, but equally punishing question that burns in the minds of most ultrarunners:

"How fast can I run?"

Instead of obstacles, Durbin provided a canvas for pure speed. He designed a course through pastoral Vienna, Illinois, utilizing a finely crushed limestone trail with a gentle two-percent grade, zero trip hazards, and crisp November temperatures.

By ensuring the course was USATF-sanctioned and certified—while still retaining its trail status with the International Trail Running Association—Durbin created a unique hybrid environment. It is a race where everyday runners can shatter their personal bests, and elite athletes can (and do) shatter World Records.

Tunnel Hill is the realization of Durbin's vision: a deceptively difficult, uncompromisingly fast track that forces you to rely on empirical fact rather than intuitive fiction.